ME

When I was young, I wished to grow old, to over a hundred and
a score more.
I wished that I would be beautiful, with a melodic voice and
dancing feet.
That I would be able to do anything and everything I put my
mind on.
That I would wonder why, in my youth, I did not do as I so
desired.
Like skating on ice or scuba diving or climbing the highest
mountain. I would chide myself for having been too busy or
scared to fulfil my dreams.
I imagine a life full of fun with not a day’s work to be done.
My friends and I enjoying sunbaths or parties.
No cooking, nor cleaning, no chores but to be waited on day and
night.
We would go out at night, play poker, gamble, or dance the
night till dawn.
We would sleep by day or simply listen to loud music or talk and
laugh loudly.

I look around me and think, wasn’t this a fanciful idea from an
imaginative me?
The picture before me is that of lives full of doddering and
solitude.
A boring life I could never bow to by any standards and at no
point in my life.
The few elderly people that are there in my mind are frail and
weak.
They are wrinkled, and they look like ghosts of their former
youth.
Seemingly hindering everyone as they dawdle with their walking
sticks and Zimmer frames.
No longer do they exist to the younger generation they once
mentored and nurtured.
It seems no one hardly ever notices them. At best, they are still a
nuisance. No one has time to see or hear them, and no one seems
to give a damn.
Everyone rushes by without concern, without conscience, nor
empathy.
They have tales to tell and jokes of old, but no one to share and
no one listens.
They reminisce and wish for those golden and wonderful days
gone by.
When they looked up to their elders, earning respect from
truthfulness and honesty.
Days when an elder was listened to, respected, and obeyed
without questions.

I am not there yet and will never surrender to a life of dreariness.
The years could overtake me, and my body succumb, but I shall
remain me.
I will use this time to be astute and plan ahead for the life that
would be desirable to me.
And so, for the years to come, I will prepare to remain graceful
and serene. I still have time to gather and store, to wander and
discover.
To accumulate, to acquire, to amass tools that would fill my days.
To make friends and friendships that last and would be branded
on my mind.
I will memorise all the good things into time and store them in
my heart.
I will work hard to live and accomplish and to earn my retirement
and rest.
I will cross the oceans, scour the earth, and soar the skies; I will
travel and explore.
I will seek enlightenment, will open my heart to amazement, and
be fulfilled.
I will enjoy life, embrace love, and I will be kind, as it will matter
to my soul.
I will make memories that will forever be inscribed on my mind
and those that I will endow to all who love me.

When eventually the golden years are upon me, I will still be me.
I will have wrinkles, but I will remain flawless in my ways.
I will remember all the places I visited in my youth and will
relive the ambiance.
I will remember my friends, and I will laugh out loud at the jokes
we shared.
I will hop, skip, and dance in my dreams, and no one will be able
to take the joy from me.
I will write my own stories and will enjoy reading them.
I will compose my own music, and I will invent my own dancing
steps.
I shall remember it all, the beauty and the tranquillity whilst
wallowing in bliss.
I will not have any regrets but a mind overflowing with
wonderful memories.
I will not have time for anything else because my life will be too
full.
My steps and my mind could falter, but my resolve will remain
steadfast.
I would not once wish for my youthful years misspent or gained
nor have any regrets.
The only things I will give into would be the finer things in life
like a good wine or body massages.
But I will remember it all, the good and the chaotic.
And I will be amazed.
By this story of ME.